Chantel & James

I am pretty sure if I could choose any place to elope, it’d be Tasmania’s amazing Cradle Mountain. And it seems today’s sunshine state residers Chantel and James are on my side – the pair choosing a Tasmanian winter and just a handful of their closest family as witnesses as they tied the knot. Winter in Tasmania is something utterly special – snow, mist and moodiness,  all coming to life for the bride’s dream of an outdoor wedding. There were bushwalks in the morning, intimate dinner receptions after dark. This relaxed sense of purpose, the focus on what is most important and beautiful imagery by Astrid Simone Photography rounds out a story that is utterly romantic.

The tying of the knot has been a long time coming for these two, Chantel explains why. “We met through mutual friends whilst at university in 2008 and began dating later that year. As it turned out quite a number of our friends already knew each other, so I like to think we would have eventually met regardless of our circumstances.”

Chantel and James, with the help of Pop Up Weddings Tasmania, planned their day at Cradle Mountain Lodge . “We chose Tracey with Pop up Weddings and she made it into a simple streamlined process, which was amazing considering we were on the other side of the country!”

The bride skipped a song for the walk down the aisle. Instead walking along the boardwalk with her father to the sounds of nature. The couple standing together against the forest backdrop for their ceremony officiated by Janelle Wilson. Chantel sharing “We had a heartfelt civil ceremony with each declaration and vow chosen for its meaning to us and my sister read us the poem ‘Benediction of the Apache’.”

Even the rings were carefully considered. The groom making them himself! Chantel explains “We were quite uncertain when deciding on the wedding bands, with no particular designs appealing to us. James taught himself a simple jewellery making technique and created two simple gold bands for us. Each ring its own unique imperfections which we love and they mean so much more to me that James made them.”

Chantel made sure to honour her family in her own unique way. “I included ‘something old’ from both of our families. With my bouquet, I carried a small chimney sweep ornament which had been carried by both my mother and maternal grandmother at their weddings. The chimney sweep is supposed to bring luck based upon an old English legend. I also wore a beautiful pearl ring which was James’ maternal grandmother’s engagement ring.”

Chantel went for something simple for her look with a gown from The Gown House and a tailored emerald green jacket from Xiaolizi Handmade. “I am someone who has always loved long, flowing dresses and Grecian style wedding dresses suited me perfectly” she explains. “I am also a very practical person, and knowing the lovely cold Tasmania winter I knew I needed a good coat and shoes. I went with the Infinity Gown from Gown House, a green wool trench coat from Xiaolizi on Etsy and am wearing a comfy pair of boots and underneath it all.”

The groom chose his look from Peter Jackson. “The sales assistant at Peter Jackson, he actually made it a pleasure to go suit shopping (a task James would not enjoy otherwise)” remembers the bride. “When we were browsing for ideas for James’ suit this assistant (the name of whom escapes me) sat with us to discuss the theme, my dress and colouring, before selecting a broad range of options for James to try. It wasn’t until a month later that we returned having decided to purchase from this store. The assistant not only remembered us, the suit and colouring, but also James’ sizes.”

 Of their photographer, Chantel shares “On the day she was wonderful. She is a lovely person, with a perfect mix of professionalism and fun. Despite our wedding location requiring us to be in close quarters, she and her assistant managed to stay complete unobtrusive, whilst still perfectly capturing the moment. Even during our ‘posed’ photography session at Dove Lake, she captured our candid moments and was able to portray our personalities in each photo.”

“It being an outdoor wedding meant the wildlife was also involved! We had a pademelon at the ceremony, another come up to us while we were getting photographs at Dove Lake, and a wombat came along as well.”

“I absolutely love Tasmania and to be able to get married in such a gorgeous location was a dream come true,” tells Chantel. “Whilst we had unfortunately missed the snow, the cool overcast day created a beautiful misty surround that perfectly suited the style of the day.”

And the newlyweds continued their day with their family – just as they’d begun it. Celebrating with cocktails and dinner at Cradle Mountain Lodge. “We loved that staying on site and having a small wedding meant we got to spend more time with each other and our families” says the bride.

 

A big congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us. Thank you also to Astrid Simone Photography and Pop Up Weddings Tasmania for sharing today’s beautiful wedding.